&#39;Snowchaser&#39; southern highbush blueberry

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct low-chill southern highbush ( Vaccinium corymbosum ) cultivar. Its novelty lies in the following unique combination of features: 1. Has a very low chilling requirement. 2. Has a vigorous bush with a somewhat spreading growth habit. 3. Ripens its berries between April 1 and April 30 in northeast Florida. 4. Produces firm berries with a light-blue color and a good picking scar.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None.

STATEMENTS REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

None.

LATIN NAME OF THE GENUS AND SPECIES

Vaccinium corymbosum L.

VARIETY DENOMINATION

‘Snowchaser’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a new and distinct variety of southern highbushblueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L) hybrid named ‘Snowchaser.’‘Snowchaser’ is a southern highbush blueberry clone that isdistinguished by its low chilling requirement and by its ability toproduce medium-size, firm berries starting in early April and finishingbefore May 1 when grown in north Florida. Several hundred plants of‘Snowchaser’ have been propagated by softwood cuttings at Gainesville,Fla., and the resulting plants have all been phenotypicallyindistinguishable from the original plant. Contrast is made to ‘Star’(U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,675), an important variety widely planted inFlorida and Georgia for early-season blueberry production. The newvariety is important because it ripens much earlier than Star.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

‘Snowchaser’, when grown in north Florida, is distinguished from allother blueberry plants by the following combination of characteristics:has excellent vigor and very early leafing; ripens 18 days earlier than‘Star’; produces berries of medium size with good picking scar andfirmness.

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

‘Snowchaser’ originated as a seedling from the cross FL95-57(unpatented)×FL89-119 (unpatented) made as part of the University ofFlorida breeding program in a greenhouse in March, 1995. The seedlingwas first fruited in a high-density field nursery in the spring of 1997.After the second fruiting, which was observed in the field in the springof 1998, ‘Snowchaser’ was propagated by softwood cuttings in June, 1998,and a 20-plant plot was established in a test plot in a commercial fieldat Windsor, Fla. in January 1999. Based on the very early ripening andgood fruit quality from this plot, the plant was again propagated bycuttings, and 57 plants were planted in a second test plot at the samefarm in March 2002. Several hundred additional plants were establishedat a test site in Archer, Fla. in January 2003.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The color chart used in this specification is “The Pantone Book ofColor”, by Leatrice Eiseman and Lawrence Herbert. 1990. Harry N. Abrams,Inc., Publishers, N.Y. Where colors in the drawings differ from thePantone color designations in the verbal descriptions, the Pantone colordesignations are the more accurate.

FIG. 1 shows flower clusters of ‘Snowchaser’ with the end of the stylesextending beyond the tip of the corolla tubes.

FIG. 2 shows a row of 3-year-old plants indicating the high vigor andsomewhat spreading growth habit of the plants.

FIG. 3 shows at close range a cluster of berries ripening in the field.The light-blue color and slight development of the calyx lobes areevident.

FIG. 4 shows at close range the berries of ‘Snowchaser’. Although thepicking scars appear somewhat large in these photos, they are dry andthe berry has not given problems in shipping.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions relate to plants grown in the field in northFlorida (Windsor, Fla.). Color designations are from “The Pantone Bookof Color” ( by Leatrice Eiseman and Lawrence Herbert; Harry N. Abrams,Inc., Publishers, New York, 1990). Where the Pantone color designationsdiffer from the colors in the Drawings, the Pantone colors are the moreaccurate.

-   Market class: ‘Snowchaser’ produces southern highbush blueberries    suitable for both the fresh and processed fruit markets.-   Bush: Bush characteristics were observed on a plot of fifty    3-year-old plants growing in a test plot in a commercial field near    Windsor in northeast Fla. Plant height. 1.5 m. Canopy diameter    measured at widest part of the bush. 2.0 m Plant vigor. High. More    vigorous and faster growing than ‘Star’. Growth habit. Between    upright and spreading. Flower bud density (number) along flowering    twigs in January. Medium to high. Twigginess. Medium. Tendency    toward evergreenness. Medium to high. High tendency to produce some    fall flowers.-   Trunk and branches: Suckering tendency. Medium to high. Produces    more canes from the base than ‘Star’. Plants produce an average of 7    major canes from the ground rising from a crown 45 cm in diameter.    Surface texture of strong, 1-year-old shoots observed in    mid-December. Smooth. Surface texture of strong, 1-year-old wood    observed in December. Smooth transitioning to rough. Surface texture    of 3-year-old and older wood. Rough, exfoliating in vertical cracks.    Color of new twigs observed in mid-December in the field. “Willow”,    Pantone 16-0632 but turning to “Pecan Brown”, Pantone 17-1430 in    winter on parts exposed to direct sunlight. Color of 1-year-old,    rough bark observed in mid-December. Mottled, changing from ‘Pecan    Brown’, Pantone 17-1430 to “Maple Sugar”, Pantone 15-1316. Color of    3-year-old rough-textured canes. “Gray Sand”, Pantone 13-1010.    Internode length on strong, upright shoots measured on 1 February.    1.3 cm.-   Leaves: Leaf length including petiole, from tip of petiole to end of    blade. Median 56 mm. Leaf width at widest point. Median 29 mm. Leaf    shape. Ovate, terminating in a pronounced dew tip, 0.7 mm long,    which is visible with a 15X microscope. Leaf margin. Minutely    serrate with sessile glands along the margin of the petiolar half of    the leaf blade extending to near the apex on some leaves. These    glands are visible at 30X magnification. Color of upper surface of    leaves. “Chive”, Pantone 19-0323. Color of lower surface of leaves.    “Sage Green”, Pantone 15-0318. Pubescense on upper surface of    leaves. None. Pubescence on lower surface of leaves. None.    Pubescence on leaf margins. Sessile glands along the margins of the    leaf blade extend all the way to the apex of most leaves. Relative    time of leafing vs flowering. Tends to flower before it begins to    leaf when coming out of dormancy. Commercially in north and central    Florida, plants are often sprayed with formulations of hydrogen    cyanomide in midwinter to enhance early leafing.-   Flowers: Flower arrangement. Flowers arranged alternately along a    short, leafless, deciduous branch. Fragrance. Faint smell of    Camellia flowers. Pedicel length at time of anthesis. Median=3 mm.    Peduncle length at time of anthesis. Variable; median=5 mm. Flower    shape. Urceolate. Pollen staining with 2% acetocarmine. This is a    measure of potential pollen fertility. 99%. Abundance of pollen    shed. High. Color of dried pollen. “Winter White”, Pantone 11-0507.    Flower length, pedicel attachment point to corolla tip excluding the    pedicel. 12 mm. Length of corolla tube. 10 mm. Diameter of corolla    tube at widest point. 8 mm. Style length: top of ovary to stigma    tip. 9 to 10 mm. Calyx diameter at anthesis: tip of lobe to tip of    opposite lobe. 8 mm. Corolla aperture diameter. 3 mm. Calyx surface.    Smooth. Corolla color at anthesis. White. Corolla surface texture.    Smooth. Calyx color at anthesis. “Green Olive”, Pantone 17-0535.    Pistil color at anthesis. “Green Banana”, Pantone 14-0434. Pedicel    and peduncle color. “Green Olive”, Pantone 17-0535. Flowering    period: mean date of 50% open flower at Windsor, Fla. February 11.    Averages 15 days before ‘Star’. Flower cluster (tight, medium,    open). Medium to open. Number of flowers per cluster. Median=6.    Location of tip of stigma relative to lip of the corolla. Stigma tip    extends about 1 mm beyond the end of the corolla tube. Self    fruitfulness. Medium to low. Should be planted with other varieties    for cross-pollination.-   Berry: Mean date of first commercial harvest (25% of the berries    ripe). April 5. Mean date of mid-harvest. April 11. Mean date of    last harvest. April 30. Diameter of calyx aperture on mature berry.    6 mm. Calyx lobes on mature berry: size and shape. Variable. Calyx    lobes typically not well developed but on some berries are developed    into a five-pointed star. Calyx dish very shallow and wide. Berry    cluster (tight, medium, or loose). Pedicel length on ripe berry    5 mm. Peduncle length on ripe berry. Variable, typically about    10 mm. Number of berries per cluster. Median 5. Detachment force for    ripe berries. Medium. Mean berry weight on well-pruned plants. 1.7 g    per berry compared to 1.8 for ‘Star’. Mean berry height. 13 mm. Mean    berry width. 14 to 15 mm. Surface color of mature berries while on    the plant. “Pearl Blue”, Pantone 14-4206. Surface color of the    berries after harvesting and packing. “Charcoal Gray”, Pantone    18-0601. Surface color of ripe berry after polishing. “Jet Black”,    Pantone 19-0303. Internal flesh color of ripe berry. “Frozen Dew”,    Pantone 13-0513. Berry surface wax. Medium amount, medium in    persistence during handling of the berry. Berry pedicel scar. Small    and dry. Berry firmness. High. Berry flavor. Sweet and low in    acidity. Berry texture. Good: small seeds, very juicy, thin skin.    Color of dried seeds. “Clay”, Pantone 15-1231. Weight of    well-developed dried seeds. 0.41 mg per seed. Length of    well-developed, dried seeds. Mean=1.9 mm. Width of well-developed,    dried seeds. Mean=1.0 mm.-   Physiological characteristics: Chilling requirement. 100-200 hours    below 7° C. Cold hardiness. Flowers and fruit are hardy to −3° C.    The plant, during winter dormancy, is hardy to −15° C. Productivity.    In northeast Florida, ‘Snowchaser’ produces about 5 pounds of    berries per bush on plants 3 years old or older. Ease of    propagation. ‘Snowchaser’ is easy to propagate from softwood    cuttings. The plants survive and grow well in nursery beds. Where    hard fall freezes are a possibility, plants of ‘Snowchaser’ should    be hardened in preparation for winter by reducing water and    fertilizer in late summer.-   Resistance to diseases, insects, and mites: ‘Snowchaser’ has shown    no signs of susceptibility to cane canker (Botryosphaeria corticis)    in the field. However, stem blight (Botryosphaeria dothidia) can be    a problem if the plants are stressed by drought, poorly drained    soil, or freeze damage. Fungal leaf spots that are common on    highbush blueberries grown in Florida are effectively controlled by    approved fungicides.

1. A new and distinct southern highbush blueberry plant, substantiallyas illustrated and described, characterized by having a vigorous,spreading bush with a very low chilling requirement that ripens berriesextremely early in the spring.